Muʿjam al-Aḥādīth al-Muʿtabara, Some of the Reasons for Differences in the Narrations – Ḥadīth #3

Muʿjam al-Aḥādīth al-Muʿtabara, Some of the Reasons for Differences in the Narrations – Ḥadīth #3

[3/75] al-Kafi: Ahmad b. Idris from Muhammad b. Abd al-Jabbar from al-Hasan b. Ali from Tha’laba b. Maymun from Zurara b. A’yan from Abi Ja’far عليه السلام, he (Zurara) said: I asked him about a matter so he answered me, then a man came to him and asked him about it so he answered him with a different answer to mine, then another man came so he answered him with a different answer to the one he gave me and the first man, so when the two men had exited I said: O the son of the messenger of Allāh – two men from the people of Iraq from among your followers came to ask you – but you answered each one of them with a different answer? He said: O Zurara, this is better and more safe for us and you, for if you were all to unite upon one position the people would believe you [in what you say] about us and that would be a threat to both our and your survival, he (Zurara) said: then I [later] said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: your followers – if you were to make them move in the face of arrows or on fire they would do it but they come out from you having differences! He said: so he answered me with the same reply as his father.

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ان هذا خير لنا وأبقى لنا ولكن ولو اجتمعتم على أمر واحد لصدقكم الناس علينا ولكان أقل لبقائنا وبقائكم – If you were all to agree on everything [become one homogeneous and disciplined body within the wider society], and narrate all the identical rites and practices that mark you out – on our authority – your claim to have an association with the `Aimma would become more believable because of your unanimity, and they will consider you our followers in actual fact, consequently the door of infamy and persecution by our enemies will be opened, but if you were to diverge in what you attribute to us, and differ among yourself, they will consider the whole thing a charade and not believe that you are our followers rather mere charlatans.

The success of this policy of the `Aimma was such that the proto-Sunni’s historically doubted whether there was any link between the `Aimma and their putative followers and many considered the whole thing to be a fabrication.

The same narration in Ilal has it as – ولو اجتمعتم على أمر واحد لقصدكم الناس علينا – “if you were to unite upon one position – the people would target you because of us”. Which seems more natural.